Manohar Lal Inaugurates CSIRT-Power Facility to Fortify Cybersecurity in Power Sector

CSIRT-Power is equipped with state-of-the-art cybersecurity tools, resources, and a dedicated team of professionals ready to respond to emerging cyber threats.

Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal inaugurated the Computer Security Incident Response Team – Power (CSIRT-Power) facility at the Northern Regional Power Committee in New Delhi today. The facility, located at Shaheed Jeet Singh Marg, Qutab Institutional Area, is a landmark initiative aimed at strengthening the cybersecurity framework of India's power sector. Speaking at the event, the minister emphasized the critical importance of securing the nation's power infrastructure from growing cyber threats. He acknowledged that cyberattacks have become a significant concern, especially for essential infrastructure like the power sector, which is highly vulnerable to nation-state-sponsored adversaries and advanced cyber threats.

"The CSIRT-Power facility is a proactive and necessary step in defending our power infrastructure against cyber threats. It is more than just a building—it is a fortress that will serve as the foundation of our cyber defence in this sector," said Shri Manohar Lal. In recent years, the digital transformation of the power sector has expanded the attack surface, making it more susceptible to cybersecurity incidents. To address these vulnerabilities, CSIRT-Power has been established as part of the Ministry of Power's 100-day initiatives, in collaboration with CERT-In, following guidelines set by the National Cyber Security Policy, 2013.

CSIRT-Power is equipped with state-of-the-art cybersecurity tools, resources, and a dedicated team of professionals ready to respond to emerging cyber threats. The facility's mission is to bolster cybersecurity resilience through a coordinated and structured approach, ensuring that the power sector can effectively combat and mitigate cyber incidents. The minister also highlighted that the existing sub-sectoral CERTs were insufficient to address the complexity of modern cyber threats due to a lack of resources and legal mandates. The newly established CSIRT-Power is designed to centralize cybersecurity efforts, offering specialized responses and decision-making support for constituent utilities.

Key objectives of CSIRT-Power include:

- Acting as the primary agency for responding to cybersecurity incidents in the power sector.

- Ensuring timely and coordinated responses to potential cyber threats.

- Collecting, analyzing, and sharing information on power sector-specific cyber risks.

- Promoting cybersecurity awareness and proactive measures within the sector.

- Providing cybersecurity expertise, training, and capacity-building initiatives.

- Developing standards, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and security policies tailored for the power sector.

The CSIRT-Power initiative will also involve collaboration with educational institutions and industry stakeholders to conduct incident response drills, build capacity, and promote collective cybersecurity efforts. Through these measures, CSIRT-Power is expected to enhance the power sector's overall cybersecurity posture, ensuring it remains robust and resilient in the face of evolving cyber threats.